Shrimp Caesar Salad

January 28, 2015

You can NEVER go wrong with shrimp.  That's another of the scared, most revered foods in our family home.  This dish of course was rated at "gotta have it" simply because of the shrimp.  To me, the best part of this dish is that it's 264 calories, not bad for dinner and way under my general goal of 500 calories.  I can feel myself lighter already!

Shrimp Caesar Salad

GTLF: Main Dish Salads p. 114

Serves 4, working time 15 min., total time 25 min.

1 C reduced sodium chicken broth, defatted

1 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined

5 cloves garlic, peeled

3 Tablespoons reduced fat mayonnaise

1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

4 oz. Italian bread, halved horizontally

2 C cherry tomatoes, halved

8 C torn romaine or iceberg lettuce

1. In a large skillet, bring the broth to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce to a simmer, add the shrimp, cover, and cook until the shrimp are just opaque, about 4 minutes.  With a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to a plate. When cool enough to handle, halve the shrimp lengthwise.

2. Return the broth to a boil, add 4 of the garlic cloves, and cook for 2 minutes to blanch.  Remove the garlic and reserve 1/4 C of the cooking liquid. In a food processor, combine the blanched garlic, the reserved cooking liquid, the mayonnaise, Parmesan, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and process to a smooth puree, about 1 minute.  Transfer to a large bowl.

3. Preheat the broiler. Toast the bread 6 inches from the heat for about 1 minute per side, or until lightly browned. Rub the bread with the remaining clove of garlic, then cut the bread into 1/2 inch chunks.  Add the bread to the dressing, along with the shrimp, tomatoes, and lettuce, tossing to combine. Divide the salad among 4 plates and serve at room temperature or chilled.

Nutritional Information: 7 g fat, 264 calories, 1.9 g sat. fat, 24 g carbohydrate, 26 g protein, 144 mg cholesterol, 807 mg. sodium.

Tips:

1. Personally, I do NOT like wet lettuce.  If you're like me, eat this salad right away as the longer it stands the more wilted the salad part will be.

2. I don't know if I'd do this recipe again even though it got really good reviews because there are a lot of steps around the garlic.  Also, just thinking about getting my giant food processor dirty makes me a little tired.  What I suggest is using your hand blender.  It's easier to clean and purees very well with a fraction of the mess.